Enter Sarah Palin. She posted an endorsement of Hoffman last night, putting both herself and her political action committee, SarahPAC, behind Hoffman. She pledged to do what she could to help Hoffman win, including using SarahPAC to “donate to his campaign the maximum contribution allowed by law.” Palin’s reasons for supporting Hoffman are telling:

Political parties must stand for something. When Republicans were in the wilderness in the late 1970s, Ronald Reagan knew that the doctrine of “blurring the lines” between parties was not an appropriate way to win elections. Unfortunately, the Republican Party today has decided to choose a candidate who more than blurs the lines, and there is no real difference between the Democrat and the Republican in this race. This is why Doug Hoffman is running on the Conservative Party’s ticket.

Palin is putting a stake in the ground and taking a stand. No other prospective candidate for 2012 has taken a stand in this race, even when asked. The way I see it, there is no downside here for Sarah. Even if Hoffman doesn’t win, all Sarah has to do is show momentum and money. If she does that, she’ll get street cred for Conservatives in future primaries and 2-way races. If Hoffman pulls this off, she becomes more of a rock star than she already is. Sarah is sending a message (along with the rest of us) that RINOs don’t cut it when there is a credible Conservative alternative. The GOP needs to wake up, and Sarah is leading the charge to do so.